Apparatus for treating clay.



J. L. MUSSER.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING CLAY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1911.

Patented June 18, 1912.

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CQLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH cov, WASHINGTON, D. c.

J. L. MUSSER.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING CLAY.

APPLICATION 11.21) MAR. s, 1911.

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Patented June 18, 1912.

J. L; MUSSER.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING CLAY. APPLICATION riLBn MAR. s, 1911.

Patented June 18, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60-. WASHINGTON, D. L.

JOHN L. MUSSER, 0F LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING CLAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 3, 1911.

PatentedJuneiS, 1912. Serial No. 612,113.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN L. MUSSER, a citizenof the United States, residing at Lancaster, in the county of Lancasterand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for Treating Clay, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates to an apparatus for treating clay; and it consistsof a number of tanks arranged and supported side by side and providedwith a suitable heating system, each tank being provided with anovellyconstructed and arranged device for drawing off or draining thewater from the tank.

The chief object of the invention is to effect a saving of both time andlaborin the preparation of clay for manufacturing purposes, and toproduce a more refined article than has heretofore been produced.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a top plan view broken transversely; Fig. 2is a vertical section, also broken; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of aheating device, beneath one of the tanks or compartments. Fig. 4 is adetail perspective view of the drain-pipe and connections.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the Walls of astructure, preferably concrete or cement, strengthened by vertical beams2. Within the structure, I provide a series of tanks 3, preferably ofmetal, said tanks being supported upon a suitable foundation, such aspiers 4t and I- beams 5, the outer edges of the two outer tanks beingsupported upon ledges 6, only one being shownsee Fig. 3on the end wallsof the cement structure. After the tanks are put in place, within thewalls of the cement structure, I preferably fill in the spaces betweenthe tanks with a cement filling, producing partition walls 7. The tanksare identical in construction and the heating apparatus beneath thetanks are also identical, so that a description of a section such asillustrated in Fig. 3, in conjunction with the outside pipe arrangementshown in Fig. 1, will sufiice to clearly describe the whole apparatus.Each tank 3 is provided with a fixed cover 7 having a longitudinalopening 8 therein, of suflicient width to permit an operative to inserta suitable instrument to stir or agitate the floating material in thetank, as may be desirable in carrying. out the process. Thislongitudinal opening 8 is covered by a narrow hinged cover 9. The

remaining portion of the tank is provided with oppositely opening hingedcovers or doors 10, through which access to the tank is bad to permitthe refined product to be removed. The fixed cover of each tank orcompartment is provided with an inlet 11, through which the claysolution may be illtroduced into the tank, after leaving the floatingapparatus.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, the numeral 12 designates aheating system, preferably steam, comprising a number of pipes 13,supported upon transverse rods 14:, extending through openings in thesides of the respective I-beams, partition walls and end walls of thecement structure, the pipes in the several sections (one section foreach tank), being in communication with a manifold 15 at one end, andwith a manifold 16 at the other end. The manifolds of each adjacent tankare in communication with each other, by nipples 17. The manifolds 16 ofthe various sections are connected with a return pipe 18, by a series ofvalved connections 19. The manifolds 15 are located. at a higher levelthan the manifolds 16, and consequently, the pipes 13 are supported in adownwardly inclined direction, thus facilitating the drainage of all ofthe pipes in the various sections. Steam entering the first of themanifolds 15, through the feedpipe 20, fed from main steam pipe 21, willpass through all of the manifolds 15, and

through the pipes 13 of the various sections,

to the front manifolds 16. Each connection 19 coming from the manifolds16 is provided with a valve 22, by which the flow of steam through thepipes 13 may be regulated or cut off entirely to throw out of action theradiator of any particular tank. Interposed in each connection, betweenthe manifolds 16 and the steam return pipe 18, is a check-valve 23,automatically operated as a check against back pressure and which isadapted to be opened more or less, according to the suction or vacuumformingtendency of a suitable vacuum pump, which I connect with thesteam return pipe 18. The pipes of the connections 19 that run into themanifolds, are of greater diameter or capacity than the pipes which areconnected with the return pipe, or in actual practice, the pipeconnected with the manifold will be about one and one-half inches indiameter, whereas the pipes between said-first mentioned pipe and thereturn pipe will be re ing with about one inch pipe leading fromthe endpipe-section of the heating system, to a one and one-fourthinch pipe forthe second pipe section and increasing at the same rate, throughout thewhole system,

thus equalizing the vacuum or suction throughout the entire battery oftanks, and maintaining under ordinary conditions the same temperature ineach. I preferably place a steam gage 241 in each feed pipe, whereby thepressure in each pipe section for each tank may be seen at a glance.

The numeral 25 designates an exhaust pipe'which extends along the rearside of the battery of tanks, outside the cement walls. To this pipe, Iconnect a suitable pump or fan; Connected at intervals with the pipe 25is a series of Y-connections 26, the pipes 27 of which extend throughsuitably packed openings in the covers of the various tanks, thearrangement being such that the pipes 26 of each Y-connection will drawfrom the two adjacent tanks.

Each Y-connection is provided with a sliding damper 27 by whichcommunication between the tanks and the pipe 25 may be regulated or cutoif entirely, as for instance, as would be desirable where the apparatuswas not working to its full capacity or where several of the tanks, oneormore, are out of commission.

For each tank I provide a drain-pipe 28, connected by an elbow to ashort vertical pipe 29 which in turn is similarly connected to a shorthorizontal pipe 30, the latter being connected by an elbow to anadjustable pipe 31, which, as shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 4, maybe moved in the direction of the length of the tank, so as to bring itsopen upper end to the level of the water and other matter to be drainedfrom the tank, after the purified clay has been precipitated. The pipe81 is arranged to rock.

on the threads in the connecting elbows and short pipe 30. The upper endof the pipe has preferably attached thereto a rod which comes through anopening in the front of the tank and through the wall of the cementstructure, by which the operator from the outside may manipulate thedrain pipe, as the level of the water in the tank is lowered, the rangeof movement of the pipe 31 being such that it will drain from thehighest to the lowest water level in the tank, according to theexigencies of the case. Preferably the cross-rods 14 are made removable,so that the heating pipes and manifolds of each tank section may be tionmaybe accessible to make repairs, or for other purposes.

In operation, the tanks are filled with the clay solution, through inletopenings 11, to the desired height. Steam is then turned on through themain steam pipe 21 and is fed through the various feed pipes 20, throughthe manifolds 15, and pipes 13, and

is drawn through the various pipe sections through the connections 20which run into the return steam pipe 18, through the various globevalves, and check valves interposed in the connections. A sufficienttemperature is maintained under the various tanks for a sufiicientlength of time to completely separate the particles of clay and permitthe vegetable and other undesirable matter of less specific gravity thanthe clay, to gradually rise to the top, while clay settles to thebottom. When the clay is thoroughly purified and has precipitated to thebottom of the tank, the water, with its contained impurities, is drawnoff through the drain pipe 31. After the water has been completely drawnoff and nothing is left in the tank but the purified clay, the heat ismaintained for a sufficient time thereafter to remove all of themoisture from the clay, which will rise in the tanks and be exhaustedthrough the Y-connections 26, which are in communication with the exitpipe 25. When the clay has become sufficiently dry for handling thehinged doors or covers 10 are opened to permit the entrance of bucketscarried by suit-able crane devices, into which buckets the refined clayis loaded and removed fromthe tanks.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An apparatus for treating clay, having in combination a tank providedwith hinged covers, a heater arranged beneath said tank, a drain-pipecomprising a pipe fixed in the bottom of the tank and provided with anelbow, and a pipe rockable on said elbow, said rockable-pipe beingadjustable in the direction of the length of the tank, and means foradjusting the rockable-pipe to any water level.

2. An apparatus for treating clay, having in combination a tank providedwith hinged covers, a heater arranged beneath said tank, a drain-pipecomprising a pipe covers, a heater situated beneath each tank,

the several heaters being coupled up together, valves for throwing outof action the heater of any particular tank, a drainpipe for each tank,each drain-pipe consisting of a pipe fixed in the bottom of its tank andprovided with an elbow, and a pipe rockable on said elbow, saidrockablepipe being adjustable in the direction of the length of thetank, and means for ad j usting the rockable-pipe to any water level.

4. An apparatus for treating clay, comprising a plurality of tankshaving hinged covers, a heater arranged beneath each tank, the severalheaters being coupled up together, valves for throwing out of action theheater of any particular tank, a drainpipe for each tank, eachdrain-plpe consisting of a pipe fixed in the forward portion of thebottom of the tank and provided with an elbow, and a piperockably-connected with said elbow, said rockable-pipe being adjustablein the direction of the length of the tank, means for adjusting therockablepipe to any water level, and means for withdrawing the moisturefrom each tank.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN L. MUSSER.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS S. MAGUIRE, FRANK G. BRERETON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

